--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a great believer in compromise. I…" description: "\"I'm a great believer in compromise. I know it's not popular among young idealists. Compromise is not popular. It's not at all popular among young peopl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/amos-oz-1478_activist_i-m-a-great-believer-in-compromise-i-kno_882316.png" --- # I'm a great believer in compromise. I know it's not… ![“I'm a great believer in compromise. I know it's not popular among young idealists. Compromise is not popular. It's not at all popular among young people who these days call themselves "activists." They think compromises are dishonest, opportunistic, humiliating. Not in my vocabulary. In my…” quote by Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/amos-oz-1478_activist_i-m-a-great-believer-in-compromise-i-kno_882316.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/amos-oz-1478_activist_i-m-a-great-believer-in-compromise-i-kno_882316.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/amos-oz-1478_activist_i-m-a-great-believer-in-compromise-i-kno_882316.png) > “I'm a great believer in compromise. I know it's not popular among young idealists. Compromise is not popular. It's not at all popular among young people who these days call themselves "activists." They think compromises are dishonest, opportunistic, humiliating. Not in my vocabulary. In my vocabulary, the word "compromise" is synonymous to the word "life".” [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates compromise as essential to life, challenging the view that it is a betrayal of ideals, especially among activists. **In simple terms:** Compromise is vital for living, not a sign of weakness. Key Takeaway Embrace compromise as a life skill. Themes ethics politics generational perspectives activism Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - community negotiations - policy drafting - intergenerational dialogue Key Concepts dialogue pragmatism social cohesion Questions to Reflect On - When does compromise become surrender? - How can activists maintain integrity while compromising? A Different Perspective Compromise can be seen as conceding core values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activist/) [Believer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believer/) [Compromise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compromise/) [Compromise Popular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compromise-popular-1064675/) [Humiliating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humiliating/) [Idealist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idealist/) [Idealists Compromise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idealists-compromise-1064678/) [Negotiation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negotiation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Think Compromises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-compromises-1064676/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Word Compromise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-compromise-1064677/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) ## Related quotes > [Compromise is not popular. It's not at all popular among young people who these days call themselves "activists." They think compromises are dishonest, opportunistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/compromise-is-not-popular-it-s-not-at-all-popular-among-young-people/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [In my vocabulary, the word "compromise" is synonymous to the word "life".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/in-my-vocabulary-the-word-compromise-is-synonymous-to-the-word-life/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [I never heard the word 'compromise' used. So I'm starting to believe that these terms only come into play to try and force Republicans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-west/i-never-heard-the-word-compromise-used-so-i-m-starting-to-believe/) [Allen West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-west/) > [“There is a lot of promise in the word compromise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myreah-moore/there-is-a-lot-of-promise-in-the-word-compromise/) [Myreah Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myreah-moore/) > [“What happens when you delete “com” from the word compromise? You’re left with a “promise.” We were made for more than compromise. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/what-happens-when-you-delete-com-from-the-word-compromise-you-re-left/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [I'm a great believer in compromise. I know it's not popular among young idealists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/i-m-a-great-believer-in-compromise-i-know-it-s-not-popular-among-2/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [“An idealist is someone who helps other people to be prosperous”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-henry-ford/an-idealist-is-someone-who-helps-other-people-to-be-prosperous/) [Ford Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-henry-ford/) > [Teachers are by nature idealists, and they believe anything can be learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/teachers-are-by-nature-idealists-and-they-believe-anything-can-be/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [“You see in such a world as this, an idealist -or perhaps it's only a sentimentalist-must be stoned to death. He makes the others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/you-see-in-such-a-world-as-this-an-idealist-or-perhaps-it-s-only-a/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) > [Only the broken-hearted idealist can become a cynic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-clifton/only-the-broken-hearted-idealist-can-become-a-cynic/) [Mark Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-clifton/) > [I'm an idealist. You do things your way well enough, for long enough, you'll get rewarded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sami-zayn/i-m-an-idealist-you-do-things-your-way-well-enough-for-long-enough/) [Sami Zayn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sami-zayn/) > [No one more cynical than an idealist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/no-one-more-cynical-than-an-idealist/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [If you are an idealist, it does not matter what you do or what goes on around you because it isn't real anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/if-you-are-an-idealist-it-does-not-matter-what-you-do-or-what-goes-on/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [“I'm an idealist who has outgrown my idealism I have nothing to do the rest of my life but do it and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-an-idealist-who-has-outgrown-my-idealism-i-have-nothing-to-do-the/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“The difference between an idealist and a fanatic is the idealist is only 90% sure he's right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-difference-between-an-idealist-and-a-fanatic-is-the-idealist-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Amos Oz > [I find the family the most mysterious and fascinating institution in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/i-find-the-family-the-most-mysterious-and-fascinating-institution-in/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [“All the profits that Papa made by the sweat of his brow from his mill she extorted from him and spent the lot on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/all-the-profits-that-papa-made-by-the-sweat-of-his-brow-from-his-mill/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Nobody ever predicted, a week before President Sadat came to Jerusalem in 1977, that his arrival would be the beginning of a peace process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/nobody-ever-predicted-a-week-before-president-sadat-came-to-jerusalem/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Every country in the world should follow the example of President Trump and move the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. But simultaneously, there should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/every-country-in-the-world-should-follow-the-example-of-president/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Actually, who hasn't been through the ghastly experience of sitting in front of a blank page, with its toothless mouth grinning at you: Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/actually-who-hasn-t-been-through-the-ghastly-experience-of-sitting-in/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [I think loathing begets fanaticism, and in the end, loathing begets hatred and violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/i-think-loathing-begets-fanaticism-and-in-the-end-loathing-begets/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Literature is about telling stories. Now, the gift of literature is that, in some lucky cases, reading a novel or a story makes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/literature-is-about-telling-stories-now-the-gift-of-literature-is/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Very often, fanaticism begins at home. It begins inside the family. It begins with the urge to change our kin, to change our beloved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/very-often-fanaticism-begins-at-home-it-begins-inside-the-family-it/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [When I need to take a side, I write a newspaper article and I tell my government, "You should not do that, you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/when-i-need-to-take-a-side-i-write-a-newspaper-article-and-i-tell-my/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [We have to carry through to the next day and hope that we will be okay tomorrow as we are today and in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/we-have-to-carry-through-to-the-next-day-and-hope-that-we-will-be/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Trump is many things. He is pampered. He is an immature man. He is a teenager craving unconditional, endless love from everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/trump-is-many-things-he-is-pampered-he-is-an-immature-man-he-is-a/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [The only way to keep a dream, any dream at all, to keep a dream perfect and rosy and intact and unsullied is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/the-only-way-to-keep-a-dream-any-dream-at-all-to-keep-a-dream-perfect/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [“Judaism and Christianity, and Islam too, all drip honeyed words of love and mercy so long as they do not have access to handcuffs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/judaism-and-christianity-and-islam-too-all-drip-honeyed-words-of-love/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Never cut loose from your longings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/never-cut-loose-from-your-longings/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [If people are pro-Israel, they are pro-Israel one-hundred-and-twenty percent. If they are anti-Israel or pro-Palestinian, they tend to be pro-Palestinian one-hundred-and-twenty percent. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/if-people-are-pro-israel-they-are-pro-israel-one-hundred-and-twenty/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) [Explore all 223 Amos Oz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) ## More Activist quotes > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Social media is not just another way to connect feminist and activist voices - it amplifies our messages as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/social-media-is-not-just-another-way-to-connect-feminist-and-activist/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [We must always refill and ensure there is a critical mass of leaders and activists committed to nonviolence and racial and economic justice who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/we-must-always-refill-and-ensure-there-is-a-critical-mass-of-leaders/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [I have never been an activist for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-parsons/i-have-never-been-an-activist-for-anything/) [Jim Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-parsons/) > [When we criticize in Iran the actions of the government, the fundamentalists say that we and the Bush Administration are in the same camp.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/when-we-criticize-in-iran-the-actions-of-the-government-the/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) > [Because my graduate academic training at law school was not one that included most of the intellectual traditions I find useful for understanding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/because-my-graduate-academic-training-at-law-school-was-not-one-that/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [I've been an activist in the LGBT community for a long time. I think nothing's changed, I'm just a little bit more focused on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-bono/i-ve-been-an-activist-in-the-lgbt-community-for-a-long-time-i-think/) [Chaz Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-bono/) > [I've been an activist since I was a teenager. I was always curious about what we would now call social justice. 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